


Chocobo Family

by GoddessofRoyalty



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cloud is Promptos dad, Family Drama, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-06-23 18:52:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15612711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofRoyalty/pseuds/GoddessofRoyalty
Summary: A collection of small writings from an UA where Cloud Strife is Prompto's father





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I've decided to post my warm-ups/small-pieces based around the same idea on here and remembered that this is one of them. All pieces around the basic premise of Cloud being Prompto's dad. 
> 
> Tumblr tag with conversations about it is here: http://goddessofroyalty.tumblr.com/tagged/Cloud-is-Proms-Dad (warning there is some mpreg in there but you can skip those ones if it's not your thing)

The Behemoth is being a bigger pain to take down than expected. They had taken the hunt partially for the, frankly impressive, reward, but also to protect the people nearby from the beast that had moved a bit too close.

Prompto is starting to regret their generosity now though. Especially when the Benehmoth literally throws Noct from where he is hitting it towards the surrounding trees. A fast warp being the only thing that stops him from hitting a tree hard. Honestly Prompto isn’t that sure if they will be able to take the thing down at all. Considering how much damage the Behemoth is causing retreat isn’t really an option for them. They just have to keep going and hopefully take the thing down before it takes one of them down.

“Prom. Shoot it!” Gladio yells as he blocks one of the Behemoth’s blows with his sword and braces as it tries to just crush him underfoot.

“What? Oh, right.” Prompto fumbles to reload his gun but just as he aims it at the spot between the Behemmoth’s eyes a sword comes down on the head of the beast.

At first he thinks it’s Noct. Recovered and switching to a broadsword from his armi-gear. He tries to focus so he can help. The beast far from being defeated.

“What the?” Noct says from behind Prompto so whoever it is that just lunged at the Behemoth can’t be him.

Their new ally makes quick work of the Behemoth. Although Prompto tells himself it’s because they softened it up for him. He needs to believe that in order to not want to just give up on everything completely.

It’s only when the new person finally lands as the Behemoth collapses in front of him, flipping a well-familiar head of blind spikes that Prompto recognises who it is. A hopeful relief building up in him at the sight.

“Dad!”

His feet move before he really has time to process what he is doing. Tears blinding his vision as he slams into the man.

“Prom, hey, it’s okay,” his father says, arms wrapping around him and for the first time in much too long Prompto is in his father’s arms again.

“No it’s not. I thought you were dead!” He hadn’t heard anything from his father after the Crown City fell and had no choice but to accept he probably died in the chaos.

“You thought I was dead?” The idea seems like it is foreign to his father. But he feels the puff of air against his head that is his father sighing. “Sorry, you know how I am with phones.”

“Prom?” Noctis asks and Prompto pulls away to look at where his three friends have regathered after what happened. “Is that your dad?”

“Um, yeah, sorry.” He realises he sort of forgot the whole explaining this to his friends thing in excitement of seeing his dad alive. He realises the three of them have never met his dad before this moment.

He pulls away and bounces on the heels of his feet. “Guys this is my dad Cloud. Dad this is the guys.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr-,” Ignis says breaking from the tightly packed trio to shake Prompto’s dad’s hand.

“Just Cloud is fine,” Prompto’s dad says before Ignis can get out the presumed surname.

“Of course.”

“We should probably head back to town,” Gladio suggests, glancing up at the darkening sky, the battle taking much longer than they had intended, “before the sun sets.”

“Yes that’s probably for the best, you’re welcome to join us,” Ignis says.

“I’m fine,” Cloud says, “I have a ride of my own.”

The topic gets dropped as they all head back to the road. Prompto sticks close to his father which earns him glances from his friends. He knows they understand, but he also knows that they’ve lost their fathers in what happened and are likely now well aware that they’ve only just met Prompto’s.

“Hey, dad, what were you doing out here anyway?” While it was causing a problem from the nearest town they had tracked the Behemoth a fair way away from it. He knew his dad travelled a lot for his work but this seemed a bit far out even for him.

“I was looking for someone,” Cloud says.

“Oh did you find them?”

“In a way.” It’s the same terribly vague statement his father was prone to make whenever Prompto asked him about his job or past. “What about you?”

“The Behemoth was being a pain to the town over. We were taking care of it for them and hopefully getting the reward money.”

This father glances at him from the corner of his eyes before looking over to Noctis. Prompto knows he is aware he was friends with the Crown Prince but there’s a wariness to Cloud’s eyes He realises he never really got to know what his father thought about that fact. “Keeping a low profile then?”

“Trying to,” Noct replies calmly with his own warily look back. Prompto really hopes he doesn’t end up with a fight between his father and best friend on his hands.

“Good. Keep it that way.” His father’s voice is strangely firm, strangely insistent, about that fact. Prompto doesn’t know why keeping their heads down is so important to Cloud. It’s always kind of been though, even as a kid Cloud told him to try and stay out of focus. He had always figured it was to do with the barcode and their heritage. Now though that doesn’t feel like it can be the reason.

Prompto knows better than to try and ask for an answer though so he just keeps quiet and enjoys the fact his father isn’t dead and there with them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So someone on tumblr had asked me to continue the verse with Cloud talking to Gladio and Cor. So I did – this one is Gladio.

Gladio had split off from the rest of the group. The relative safety of Lestallum and its dense crowds making him feel able to go shopping without needing to keep the others close. Plus, Prompto’s dad had just shown up and Gladio felt a bit awkward hanging around while he was there. A bit like he was intruding on a family-only moment.

So he really doesn’t understand what Cloud was doing standing next to the bike he had showed up in, acting like he was about to leave. Certainly not without Prompto anywhere in sight.

Almost as if he was sneaking away.

Gladio had yet to decide if Prom’s father was someone they could fully trust and figures this was a good opportunity as any to assess the level of threat he possessed.

“Leaving without saying goodbye?” he asks, after making his way over to the still-parked bike and rider.

He catches Cloud flinch, but only slightly. Catches the twitch of muscle that wants to reach for a weapon at being startled suppressed. He’s not that surprised – he was there when Prom’s dad took out the behemoth. You don’t get to that level of skill without a level of defensive reflex.

“It’s time for me to go,” Cloud says, flat and dry.

“You only just got here, I’m sure Prom would want to spend more time with you.” And Gladio wasn’t going to fault him for that. He well remembers the fear he felt for Iris when the Citadel fell. He knows how relieving it is to find out a part of your family survived.

“He’ll be safer if I don’t.” Gladio does catch the pain in Cloud’s voice, but it is buried under a stubbornness that he has seen in Prompto as well. Rare, but when shown nearly impossible to fight against.

“In case you didn’t notice there isn’t much safety to be had these days.” Not with the Empire and certainly not in the party of a prince that the Empire has made clear they want gone.

“I’ll only attract-“ Cloud starts but stops himself from continuing and Gladio remembers the comment he made when they first met about looking for someone. Wonders if that is possibly a part of this. “I’ll only put another target on his back.”

Gladio doesn’t really understand how they could get any more of a target on their backs than they already do but it is clear Cloud believes what he is saying completely. From the brief company of him Gladio is pretty sure Prompto’s dad isn’t a fanciful man so he wonders what could have him thinking there is more danger that could be attracted to them than what they have already. Worries about whether they could have any chance of survival if that concern is true.

“Look, at least say goodbye to Prom.” He hadn’t spent a lot of time with Prompto before the start of the trip, certainly nowhere near the same extent as Noct. But he had spent enough to know that Prom had mostly been left to his own devices. That his dad was rarely around and often going on work trips outside the Citadel for weeks or months at a time. He didn’t want the kid to have his father just vanish on him again hardly a day after he had found out he was alive.

“I have.” There is a hint of offence in Cloud’s words but Gladio isn’t going to apologise for it. Not when he has every good reason to suspect Cloud of just up and leaving. The man hadn’t even texted Prompto to tell him he survived the attack.

“Right. Well, than good luck with whatever it is you have to do.”

Cloud gives a nod of acceptance and climbs onto the bike to leave. He pauses when he’s half-mounted and turns to look back at Gladio. “Thank you.”

“What for?” He hadn’t done anything for the man.

“Looking out for him.” Gladio doesn’t get a chance to respond to before Cloud is on the bike and speeding off and away from Lestallum. Leaving Gladio standing in the streets trying to figure out if the man is actually a threat or ally to them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is Cor's part.

There is a man waiting on the side of the road by the house at Cape Caem. Not entirely a stranger, at least not to the hunters that were helping them, but also hardly known. All that could be said was that he was a loner who would take up a hunt or two when passing through various rest-stops. That he had been doing that for years but never befriended anyone, not even the other travellers of the road.

And now he is just waiting at the road to what might be the last safe-house for the Crown left.

Cor would be neglect to not investigate himself.

The path from the house is just overgrown and steep enough that Cor can catch sight of the man before giving warning of his approach. And sight alone gives a great clue as to why he might be there.

The resemblance is striking.

Still, familial relationship is not enough to remove all suspicion from the man. There was, after all, the evidence of the true birthplace of the Prince’s best friend. And while Prompto had well proved himself trustworthy that didn’t mean that his relative was of similar mentality.

So Cor walks past the gate to approach the man. He can see the man watching him from the corner of his eyes but he doesn’t think he wasn’t supposed to. The man wants him to know his presence is acknowledged. Wants him to know he isn’t going to react but is still aware.

“May I ask what you are doing here?” Cor asks once close enough to the man who is still leaning on his bike. Who is letting him make the first move to dictate how this interaction is going to go.

The question earns him a head tilt, a subtle sign of consideration before responding. “This is the most likely place to meet him.

“Who?” Cor is fairly sure he knows but it is still good to double-check.

“My son.” The information is given too easily, further confirmation that the style of interaction is in his hands.

“You’re Cloud Strife?” They had, of course, done their research into Prompto Argentum. Had done it back when he was only the prince’s friend from school. They had known about his father and the different surnames but only really from signed documents and paperwork – rental agreements and employment contracts. The fact the father had no contact with the prince had made them just content enough to let it lie until anything happened to warrant more effort into identifying him.

It was slightly reassuring to have a face to go with the name even if he wouldn’t have expect this one. Not because the two didn’t look anything alike – it was undeniable that Cloud and Prompto were related. It was just Cloud looked younger than Cor would expect for Prompto’s father. Not impossibly so, but noticeably. Cor realises he had expected the man to be Prompto’s cousin.

“Yes,” Cloud responds calmly, but he considers his next words carefully. Even then they come out quietly, almost as if to himself. “They’ll be crossing the sea soon won’t they? Heading to Altissia?”

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you that.” And he is sorry, because there is something about Cloud that makes Cor know he does care about his son even if he was chronically absent from Prompto’s life. And he knows enough about caring fathers to know that just knowing where their child is can be all they need.

“I know,” Cloud says, looking at him with a strange intensity. “I need to see him before they do. Need to give him something.”

“I could tell him to contact you when they next get back.” He doesn’t even know when that is – the group seeming to work off their own schedule at times.

Cloud gives a small laugh and Cor feels like he’s missing the joke. “I’ve been told I’m not good with answering my phone.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last bit of this that’s written but there is always the possibility for more because I do love this verse. 
> 
> Also this one can be read mpreg or weird experimenting (remember Hojo does in canon splice genes)… honestly neither option is really better.

They let Prompto go off by himself to ring his father. It seems right after what happened that day. Not that Prompto even goes that far. Just out on the balcony of their hotel room. Close enough that Ignis can hear the mobile ringing out. Reassuring in that it means they should hear if anyone comes from Prompto – a fear that they’ve only just really gained.

Even Ignis is still reeling from what happened. Reeling and trying to put all the pieces of information together. A long-vanished Niflheim General showing up in Altissia with an interest in nobody and nothing apart from Prompto. A man who cut his way through the entire battalion of Magitek soldiers sent to obtain him and then declare Prompto’s father a thief. Declare Prompto their shared child.

The mobile rings out again. Ignis remembers that both Prompto and Cloud had made comment on how bad Cloud was at answering his phone. A fact that had left Prompto believing his father dead when Insomnia fell. Still, Ignis silently prays Cloud will pick up this time. Prompto needs support that the three of them can’t give him. Needs answers that only Cloud Strife has.

The phone rings out again and this time Prompto doesn’t hang up to try again but let’s the message-bank roll through.

“Dad.” Prompto’s voice is shaky and a glance around at both Gladio and Noctis confirms that they want to go comfort him as much as Ignis does.  They can’t though. Already prying too much in what should be a private conversation by overhearing it.

“Dad, please pick up. I met him today. Sephiroth.” Prompto says the name as if it is cursed and in a way it is. Sephiroth had been a terror as a General during the Empire’s early days. Personally responsible for a lot of the first sections of land taken. Then he had vanished, assumed dead. Until today. “He said- Look I don’t care what you did, I just need to know what happened. Why- Ring me when you get this okay. I need to talk to you. Please.”

The click tells them Prompto has hung up and Ignis finds himself half-expecting to hear the ringing of a phone in another attempt. Instead there’s just gasped-up sniffles before Prompto comes back inside the hotel room.

“He still never answers his phone,” Prompto tries to joke but his voice is too watery for it to work. “We should, um, get some rest before tomorrow, big day and all.”

“You okay?” Noctis asks.

“Yeah,” Prompto says with a weak smile. “He was probably lying anyway. I mean, you saw him, he looked pretty crazy.”

But also dangerous. The ex-Niflheim General seemed to have a plan just starting in its execution. One not tied to any allegiances but rather personal goals.

Goals they would have no ability to predict until they had more information on the man himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr is goddessofroyalty if you want to come talk to me/send me prompts.


End file.
